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 Surrounded by hot pink walls, lime green booths and a sleek sushi bar, the women noshed on specially prepared menu items like “Charlotte’s Chic Curried Lobster Salad†and “Carrie’s Carrot Shoeffle.†Ending ‘four years of agony’
All across the country, women have been embracing the movie with an zest unseen since Charlotte bought her first Rabbit.
For fans, the movie’s arrival ended four years of agony. Although TBS has been running “Sex and the City†in a watered-down form (cutting out all the juicy parts) ever since the HBO series ended in 2004, nothing beats the real thing.
“I was devestated when the show ended,†Edwards resident Theresa Luling said.
Some fans got their hopes up in 2004 when the media started jabbering about a “Sex and the City†movie, but the project stalled amid rumors that Kim Cattrall had walked away over money gripes. (Cattrall denies those rumors).
With the opening of “Sex and the City: The Movie†on May 30, women were so overwhelmed, they forgave Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays heroine Carrie Bradshaw, for showing up at the premiere in a green, foot-high hat that looked like a mother’s day bouquet on crack.
The movie has proved so popular at the Riverwalk Theater in Edwards, nighttime shows have been selling out and owner Steve Lindstrom recently added matinees.
Staying power
Why has “Sex and the City†enjoyed such lasting appeal? For starters, it resonates with the single set. Fans developed a fierce loyalty to the show’s over-30 foursome as they navigated Post-it breakups and pubic-hair-dying mishaps. The characters also talk frankly about sex (“My Vagina’s depressedâ€), during banter viewers embrace as a form of feminism. Yet the show has a serious side.
“It’s like all these life events you can relate to,†one of the party-goers said, citing Charlotte’s struggles with infertility. “I had a neighbor, the same thing happened. She tried for 15 years to get pregnant.â€
If the show sent women into a frenzy, the movie has worked them into a lather. With the movie release, the foursome is back: Carrie, the shoe-obsessed columnist with a penchant for agonizing, Samantha, a public relations executive who straddles anything with a pulse, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda, a lawyer dripping with sarcasm and Kristin Davis as Charlotte, a goody-goody intent on landing a husband and children.
Just as the characters travel in a pack, women have been attending the movie in groups. That trend holds true in Edwards, where showings have been packed with groups of women, Lindstrom said.
High stakes
A handful of women offered glowing reviews. Like Edwards resident Cindy Petrehn, who came to the “Sex and the Sushi†party with a picture of a “Sex and the City†movie poster from Paris.Â
“I thought the movie was great,†she said. “I had heard a couple of not-so-great reviews and I was a little worried. By the time it was over, it was like, ‘Wow.’ It was really great.â€
Given the build-up to the movie, the stakes are high. Fans expect killer fashion statements, raunchy humor — and the answer to the biggest mystery of all: Will Carrie wind up with Mr. Big?
Vesey said the movie lived up to her expectations.
“I love the movie,†Vesey said. “Some people said it was too long. I liked the way they had the ups and the downs and tied it all together.â€
As with Mr. Big, the fate of the movie depends on whether it has staying power.Â
“It’ll be here for another couple of weeks,†Lindstrom said. “We'll have to wait and see how strong it stays.â€Â |
